Mario & Luigi Paper Jam
Top Critic Average
Critics Recommend
Critic Reviews for Mario & Luigi Paper Jam
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is just as wacky and enjoyable as any other past iteration of the series, but it fails to change things up in a meaningful way for longtime fans.
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam Bros is wholesome, warm, but occasionally wearisome.
If you've never played a Mario & Luigi game, this is the perfect on-boarding point. It's got a hilarious script, near-flawless battling, and bucketfuls of charm.
Mario & Luigi continues to have the best sense of humor of Nintendo's assorted franchises, and a quicker pace in the tutorial and storytelling departments make this one of the best entries yet
Paper Jam's cute and punchy moments are offset by its frustrating repetition
AlphaDream hits the mark again in terms of combat and dialogue, even if some new additions fall flat.
Surprisingly, however, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam dishes up an interesting take on the Mario RPG formula without wandering too far from its roots. Some may scorn the lack of drastic change in the gameplay and while it's fair to conclude it is more of the same in most parts, Paper Jam is — at its heart — a solid RPG with plentiful personality. It may not be the RPG we had sought at the beginning, but it's one that marries together most (though not all) of what makes this Mario spin-off so immediately engrossing.
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam totally succeeds as an accessible, entertaining and lengthy crossover for fans and newcomers alike. It introduces a solid list of worthy new mechanics, particularly building upon the battle system in some exciting new ways, and breaking exploration up with random quests. It's more of a mini RPG than ever, but doesn't quite nail it when it comes to environmental design and storytelling. In the end it's Paper Jam's simplicity that makes it a great starting point and an easy recommendation, but also holds it back from taking full advantage of more dimensions than ever before.
